The South African state is imploding. Although there is not a moment to spare, we can still avoid the coming crash if we act quickly enough. But, first, there has to be an official acknowledgement that there is a crisis. Astonishingly, denial of the crisis remains the mainstay of President Thabo Mbeki and his leading officials, writes William M Gumede.

Trustees of the insolvent estate of slain mining magnate Brett Kebble want more than R25-million back from beneficiaries of Kebble's largesse, Business Day reported on Wednesday. Alleged beneficiaries ranged from senior African National Congress members to a prominent business journalist.

South Africa is honouring her for helping it overcome the legacy of apartheid, but Linda Biehl says she is simply doing what any parent would after the death of a child: trying to find meaning in loss. She was speaking on the eve of a ceremony at which President Thabo Mbeki is to grant her one of the country's highest honours.

Awards will be bestowed on a musician, a judge and a former chief of state of protocol, Billy Modise, during next week's 11th national orders ceremony. Modise, United States musician and singer Harry Belafonte and Chief Justice Pius Langa are just some of those who will be recognised at the ceremony.

Slain revolutionary leader Chris Hani would not have believed that 14 years into democracy, South Africa is still an unequal society, the Congress of South African Trade Unions said on Thursday at a memorial service marking 15 years since the assassination of Hani, the then-head of the South African Communist Party.